


Dapper Dan and His Elfin Prince

by lovetheblazer



Category: Glee
Genre: Fluff, M/M, NYADA
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-06-24
Updated: 2015-06-24
Packaged: 2018-04-05 22:23:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,556
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4197198
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lovetheblazer/pseuds/lovetheblazer
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Anonymous prompted: Could you write something about Kurt bragging about Blaine to everyone at NYADA, so when Blaine actually arrives, everyone already knows who he is? Thanks!:)</p>
            </blockquote>





	Dapper Dan and His Elfin Prince

“Are you sure I'm not overdressed? Or underdressed?” Blaine worries, checking his reflection in the window of the bus for at least the third time in ten minutes. He straightens his bowtie and then looks to Kurt for reassurance. ****

“You're perfect,” Kurt promises, squeezing his hand. “You are exactly the right amount of dressed.”

“Sorry, I'm just nervous,” he apologizes.

“I know, honey. I was terrified on my first day at NYADA too, but you've got nothing to worry about - especially when you have your handsome, wise boyfriend to show you the ropes,” Kurt grins.

“Don't forget modest,” Blaine teases, leaning forward and capturing Kurt's lips in a sweet kiss. “And technically it's fiancé now, not boyfriend.”

“God, I'm still not used to that,” Kurt marvels, looking down at the intertwined hands to admire the simple platinum band on his ring finger.

“But it was a good surprise, right?” Blaine asks, the slight waver in his voice giving away his insecurity. He knows that the timing of his proposal was... unconventional, to say the least, given their ages and how short a time they'd been back together. But Blaine knew exactly what he wanted and he didn't see the point in waiting or pretending. He didn't need to follow someone else's timetable for a “typical” relationship, whatever that even meant. He just needed to be with Kurt – today, tomorrow, and every day. That's all that really mattered in the end, that he had chosen Kurt and Kurt had chosen him back.

“It was the  _best_  surprise,” Kurt confirms. “Do you know how much I love you?”

“I might have some idea,” Blaine beams, “but I'll never get tired of hearing you say it.”

Kurt gives his hand a quick squeeze. “Oh, this is our stop. C'mon.”

Blaine grabs his gym bag and lets Kurt lead him by the hand down the center aisle of the bus and onto the street. He looks up at the imposing stone facade of NYADA and takes a deep breath, squaring his shoulders in an attempt to appear more confident than he actually feels at the moment.

He follows Kurt underneath the archway and into a large courtyard with green shrubbery, manicured grounds, and tall buildings on all sides. “We're really here,” he murmurs, awed and anxious in equal measure.

“Yep, no backing out now,” Kurt replies.

“Guess not,” Blaine says, biting his lip nervously.

“You're going to do great, honey,” Kurt soothes. “Do you want me to walk you to your first class?”

“No, no, you don't have to do that,” Blaine insists, even though there's a large part of him that wouldn't mind the company. “It's clear on the other side of the quad from your building. Besides, that's why you showed me around campus last week, so I wouldn't be lost like the rest of the freshmen.”

“You definitely have a leg up over me when I was starting out. I had my nose perpetually buried in the campus map my first week here. I'm sure the upperclassmen could spot me coming from a mile away,” Kurt chuckles at the memory.

“Lucky me, I have a hot sophomore to show me around,” Blaine purrs.

“And I get to date the cutest freshman on campus. Thankfully, I called dibs on you before one of the predatory gays could scoop you up.”

“There are predatory gays on campus?” Blaine asks with a raise of the eyebrow. “That'll be a new experience. We had so few gay guys at McKinley, predatory, closeted, or anything in between.”

“Oh god yes, there are quite a few actually. They tend to travel in a pack. They remind me a little of Puck with his extreme womanizing ways, though obviously they are trying to pick up guys instead.” He notices the slightly bemused expression on Blaine face. “I mean Puck before he started dating Quinn and mellowed out, obviously,” Kurt clarifies.

“Obviously,” Blaine echoes. “I'll be on the lookout. Although if you wanted to mark your territory, you  _could_  kiss me again.”

“I guess I could be amenable to that,” Kurt whispers, closing the gap between them in one long stride. He cups Blaine's face with both hands as he draws him close. Blaine's lips part automatically as Kurt's tongue runs along the seam of his mouth. It's probably a bit more of a kiss than is strictly appropriate for 7:30 AM on a college campus, but Blaine really can't find it in him to care. He can feel him drawing strength and courage from his connection with Kurt as he has so many times before, and he's loathe to pull away. Kurt must sense his hesitance because his hand slides from Blaine's cheek to the nape of his neck, stroking soothingly at his skin as they finally break apart.

Kurt presses his forehead to Blaine's and they both take a second to catch their breath. “You're going to be amazing today. I'm so proud of you for making it here.”

Blaine didn't know just how much he needed to hear those words until Kurt was saying them. That's really all he wants or needs, to make Kurt proud. “I love you,” he sighs in contentment.

Kurt kisses his forehead. “I love you too.” He takes a step backwards, looking Blaine over carefully. He straightens his bowtie and picks up the gym bag that Blaine had tossed carelessly at his feet while they kissed, sliding it back over his shoulder. “You've got all your gear for dance class, right?”

“Yes,” Blaine confirms.

“And you brought that blister tape I got for you? Because trust me, no matter how much you try to break in your dance shoes ahead of time, your feet are going to be brutalized by the end of the first class. Cassie July is a harsh taskmaster that way,” Kurt warns.

“Yep, don't worry. I packed everything you told me to bring,” Blaine chuckles. Something about seeing Kurt fuss over him like a mother hen puts him more at ease. It's an excellent reminder of the next chapter of their life that they are building together in New York.

“Good,” Kurt nods in satisfaction. He glances down at his watch. “We should probably go. You don't want to be late on your first day, especially not for Carmen.”

“Yeah, you're probably right,” Blaine agrees.

“You're just going to go...” Kurt starts to direct.

“...through those double doors, down the hallway, then it’s the fourth door on the right to enter the auditorium,” Blaine interrupts. “I know, I know. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten.”

“Looks like you've got it under control,” Kurt smiles encouragingly. “I'll meet you back here at 11:30 and we can grab lunch together, okay? If it's still this pretty out, we can walk back out to the corner and grab something from a street vendor and have a picnic maybe? Otherwise there's the cafeteria. The food's not bad, but it'll probably be pretty crowded.”

“11:30,” Blaine repeats. “See you then.”

* * *

Blaine exhales slowly and looks up from his notebook, shaking out his cramping hand. He's spent the last fifteen minutes furiously scribbling down due dates and various assignment details. It's a lot to take in and he's not even in his first  _official_  class yet, just his freshman orientation and welcome seminar with Carmen Tibideaux, the NYADA Dean of Vocal Performance and Song Interpretation. Carmen seems to put a lot less emphasis on the welcome part of the seminar however, unless her idea of welcoming students is intimidating and scaring the shit out of them. The idea that she can call on them at any time and ask them to perform is pretty terrifying. It's not that Blaine isn't used to semi-spontaneous performances, since that was a hallmark of his time at both Dalton and McKinley. Still, those performances were usually just for fun and didn't have the potential to make or break his college career. As Carmen had just laid out very plainly, if she called on you to perform and you weren't ready or she sensed that you weren't continuing to improve, she could fail you right then and there. No preamble or do over, you'd just be  _out_. Blaine makes a mental note to ask Kurt more about it at lunch. He needs to know how often someone gets called on to perform so he can make sure he's fully prepared.

“Okay, so now that we've gone over the basic requirements of your first semester and what I'll be expecting of you, it's time for you to introduce yourselves to me and to one another. I know I auditioned all of you, but I'm not going to remember most of your names,” Carmen explains, not sounding apologetic in the least. “That's why you have assigned seating, so I can refer to the seating chart to call on you. I'm not going to call on you in any specific order because I want to keep you on your toes. That's just what’s expected of you if you are going to survive the rigorous audition process that it will take to be a working singer, actor, or dancer once you leave us in four years. Broadway isn't going to hold your hand and ease you into things little by little. The directors and producers aren't going to make the effort to learn your names unless you do something to impress them. You have to earn it. Consider me your first real practice at that. Starting today, you should make that your number one goal. Impress me. Show me something you haven't shown anyone else. Blow me away. Make me learn your name and remember you,” Carmen demands, staring them down, her eyes bouncing from person to person in the auditorium as she makes her intentions clear.

“When I call on you, I want you to stand, tell me your name, your specialization at NYADA, and your future career goals. Be prepared for me to ask you to perform today,” Carmen continues, shaking her head as a panicked ripple of whispered voices echoes around the room at the threat of performance.

“Yes, yes, settle down. Did you expect me to take it easy on you just because it's the first day? Well, I'll make it a _little_  easier on you. The only reason I'd be sending someone home today is if they weren't ready and willing to perform. As long as you try, you have nothing to fear. Just keep in mind that first impressions tend to carry a lot of weight. If you're smart, you'll make sure your first one with me is a good one,” Carmen warns.

She glances down at her podium, frowning as she shuffles her papers, clearly looking for something. “Jason, where's that seating chart?” she asks pointedly, gesturing towards the teaching assistant sitting towards the back of the auditorium. “Come on, we don't have all day,” she prods while he digs through a folder on his lap, eventually pulling out a laminated sheet of paper.

She scans the crowd of students while she waits for Jason to stand and rush down the center aisle with the seating chart. Her eyes quickly settle on Blaine and he forces himself to meet her gaze and not tremble visibly, even though he's inwardly pleading with every higher power he can think of that she won't ask him to go first.

“Ah, luckily there's at least one person whose name I already know,” she announces, smiling at Blaine. “Mr. Anderson, why don't start us out while Jason gets his act together?”

Blaine jolts, surprised that Carmen already knows his name. He's not sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. He hopes it means that he was a standout during his audition, though he's nervous that he might not make as strong a second impression if so. He stands on shaking legs and takes a deep breath, dropping his shoulders and making direct eye contact with Carmen. She nods approvingly.

“Hi, my name is Blaine Anderson,” he begins, speaking loudly enough to project to the whole auditorium. “I'm a Musical Theater major and my career goal is a lead role in a Broadway musical. I'd like the opportunity to originate a role in a new show eventually and I'd also like to compose music and lyrics for the stage as well.”

“So, basically you want to do it all?” Carmen comments, though not meanly.

“Yes, although singing and acting is my primary goal. Music composition is really more of a hobby,” Blaine admits.

“What would you say is your biggest weakness? What's the thing you need NYADA to teach you the most in order to meet your goal?” Carmen asks.

“Dancing and choreography. That's the area I need to improve in the most in order to be a well-rounded theater actor,” Blaine replies immediately. Unfortunately, the Warblers' choreography wasn't very challenging and neither was anything that Mr. Schuester came up with for the New Directions. Blaine knows he isn’t a bad dancer per se, but he needs practice to master more difficult moves and pick up new choreography quickly, knowing that will be expected of him at most Broadway auditions.

“I'm sure Mrs. July will be happy to challenge you in the area, Mr. Anderson. She takes her job as lead choreographer very seriously.” Carmen takes the seating chart from Jason and jots down a quick note. “What song did you audition with, Blaine? Jog my memory.”

“Piano Man by Billy Joel, Mrs. Tibideaux,” he answers.

“Ah, that's right,” she nods. “Quite a big risk you took there, not singing a traditional theater song. Although in your case, it obviously paid off or you wouldn't be here. Still, it's important to have a strong repertoire in musicals as well as in pop songs. Why don't you sing me a few bars of something from classic theater?”

“Sure,” Blaine replies, swallowing hard. He quickly runs through his mental rolodex of songs he's performed in the past and feels confident he can nail.

“Do you know what song you are going to sing?” she presses.

“Yes, One Hand, One Heart from West Side Story,” Blaine says, trying to sound confident about his song selection, hoping it'll suffice.

“Excellent. You'll need a Maria to join you, however,” Carmen points out. She looks down at her seating chart. “How about you, Miss Thompson? I assume you know the lyrics?”

“Yes m'am,” a petite redhead sitting in the second row squeaks as she stands. She walks to the front of the auditorium when Carmen beckons, standing next to Blaine. She looks absolutely petrified. Blaine gives her a reassuring smile, feeling a little guilty that he inadvertently roped her into singing with him, even though he knows Carmen is the one who chose her.

“Our pianist, Mr. Jeffords, will be accompanying you,” Carmen directs. “Be sure you project. This space can be quite unforgiving on thin voices and singers without proper breath support.”

Blaine takes a deep breath as he hears the introductory notes played on the piano. He glances at the pianist, grateful that he nods with his head to indicate where Blaine is supposed to come in. He opens his mouth and begins to sing the familiar lyrics, trying to project to the back row of the auditorium as he's been taught.

 _Make of our hands, one hand,_  
Make of our hearts, one heart.  
Make of our vows, one last vow;  
Only death will part us now.

The young woman begins to sing on the second verse, her voice a little shakier and a lot quieter than his.

_Make of our lives, one life.  
Day after day, one life._

By the time it's Blaine's turn to join her in singing again, she seems to have regained some of her confidence. Still, he has to sing a bit softer so he doesn't overpower her voice as he harmonizes with her.

_Now it begins, Now we start;_   
_One hand, one heart._   
_Even death won't part us now._

There is a smattering of applause from the other students as they finish singing the last note. Blaine breathes a sigh of relief that he got through it in one piece, though he knows it's Carmen's opinion that really matters.

A hush falls over the room as the freshmen wait for her pronouncement. “Very good, Mr. Anderson. It's nice to see that your musical theater skills are as strong as your audition was,” she compliments Blaine. He has to fight to maintain control, as the temptation to bounce up and down with his sheer elation at her encouraging words is quite strong. Instead, he smiles and says “Thank you, Mrs. Tibideaux,” in what he hopes is a dignified tone of voice.

“As for you, Mrs. Thompson, you need to work on strengthening your voice. I thought you sounded slightly weak and flat on the opening notes in particular. It's good to see that you were able to hear that you were going wrong and correct it quickly, but that's definitely something you'll need to improve on,” Carmen says bluntly.

“Yes m'am,” the girl replies, looking crestfallen.

“Thank you both for going first,” Carmen adds. “That's always a difficult position to be in, but it's also great practice for auditions. If you are called first for a professional audition, you should consider it your primary goal to psych out your competition. You need to be strong enough that the casting agents won't be able to forget you, even though they'll be seeing tens or hundreds of other performers after you. Mr. Anderson showed you exactly how that should be accomplished. It was very charming, Mrs. Anderson. It seems Mr. Hummel was right about you.”

Blaine blushes at the mention of Kurt's name. He can only imagine what Kurt must have said to Carmen about him. He's torn between being embarrassed because his boyfriend gushing over him probably isn't the most professional impression to make and being extremely flattered that Kurt thought highly enough of his talent to talk him up to the dean. He looks out at the sea of faces of the other students in his cohort as he walks back to his seat, seeing a mixture of inspiration, jealousy, and open disdain and hostility. He supposes that's to be expected at a place like NYADA, where students are expected to constantly compete for roles. He just hopes he hasn't put too big a target on his back. Obviously, he might have had a slight leg up on the others thanks to Kurt's advice and encouragement, but clearly he'd lived up to the hype judging by the kind words Carmen had for him after the performance.

He sits back in his chair, smiling broadly while he watches Carmen call up the next student. Blaine feels like he's already passed his first test with flying colors. Not bad for barely 8:30 AM on his first day.

* * *

After orientation with Carmen, Blaine has Acting Fundamentals with Noel LaRue, an ancient but spry balding man who trained under Stanislavsky and specializes in Method acting. The warm-ups he leads the class through feel pretty foreign and downright strange to Blaine, but he knows that's why he's at NYADA – to learn new things. He's sure there's a method to his teacher's madness, so he tries to just go along for the ride and not overthink. Mr. LaRue has already counseled them to stay in the moment and react, rather than act, after all.

“Okay, now we are going to get into some partner work. There should be an even number of students in this class, so just introduce yourself to someone around you. It can be the same gender or mixed gender pairs for this exercise, either is fine,” Mr. LaRue prompts.

Blaine turns his head to look at the students sitting near him, but before he can even open his mouth, two people are asking him, “Want to be partners?” in near unison.

“Uh,” Blaine is startled by the sudden interest. “I... think you asked first?” he says, pointing to the guy in a navy button down shirt sitting on his left. “Sorry, maybe we can work together for the next exercise?” he suggests, shooting an apologetic smile to the striking brunette girl on his right.

“Sure,” she shrugs, looking a little disappointed. Blaine mentally preens at the idea that people are seeking him out to work with him after his performance during orientation. He just hopes he can continue to live up to those high expectations, given that he's less sure of his acting skills than his voice.

“Hey, I'm William,” the guy introduces himself, extending his hand to shake.

“I'm Blaine,” he replies, shaking William's hand warmly.

“I know,” William immediately replies. “You made quite the impression on Carmen this morning and most of the other students as well, I'd suspect.”

“Oh, thank you,” Blaine smiles modestly. “It was scary going first.”

“Well hey, it worked out pretty well for you. Who was that guy Carmen was talking about after you performed? The one who said you were charming or something?” William presses.

“Mr. Hummel?” Blaine confirms.

“Yeah, is he another teacher here or something?” William wonders.

“No,” Blaine chuckles. “Kurt is my boyfriend... er, fiancé, actually. He's a sophomore here.”

“Ahh, that must come in handy!” William exclaims. “I don't know a single soul here or even in the state of New York, come to think of it.”

“Where are you from?” Blaine inquires.

“Georgia – I figured my Southern drawl would have given it away by now,” he laughs.

“I like your accent,” Blaine tells him. “It's unique.”

“Thanks,” William whispers, turning his head to listen to Mr. LaRue give some additional instructions.

“...so I'll be walking around the room to see how each pair is getting along. Remember the point of this exercise is about listening to your scene parter, staying in the moment, and improvising. Try not to have any preconceived notions about where the scene is headed, just respond naturally as you would during everyday conversation,” the teacher finishes.

Blaine nods and unfolds the piece of paper he's been handed that tells him the location where their scene should take place. Meanwhile, William opens a second piece of paper that has some goal, task, or motivation he'll be trying to accomplish during the scene. Blaine's piece of paper reads “mortuary.” He finds himself suddenly thankful that he's seen a few episodes of Six Feet Under so he has some idea of where to begin, although he tries not to plan anything too elaborate, since that's contrary to what Mr. LaRue just explained.

“And... begin!” Mr. LaRue calls out from the front of the room.

Blaine plasters on his best somber face and gives William a sympathetic smile. “Hi, my name is Craig. And what's your name, sir?”

“Steve,” William retorts angrily.

“Steve, first of all, I'd like to tell you I'm sorry for your loss,” Blaine continues, trying to sound genuine even though he feels pretty silly.

“A lot of good your apologies will do me now! Unless I can print them out and use them as currency, they are of no use to me,” William practically growls.

“I hear from your words that money is a concern for you and your family? In that case, there are several more affordable funeral packages I could show you. There's also cremation if that's something you feel comfortable with,” Blaine lays out, gesturing to the floor between them as if there were some brochures he was showing set out there.

“Very good start, both of you!” Mr. LaRue announces from behind Blaine. He jumps slightly, not realizing they were being watched.

“What's your name?” Mr. LaRue asks, walking around until he can look at Blaine and William both.

“I'm Blaine, sir. Blaine Anderson,” he replies.

“Ah Blaine, I should have known! I've heard many good things. You really are a natural, just like your friend, Kurt. I especially like how I could tell you were really listening to your partner rather than just planning out what to say next. I take it you were working at some kind of funeral parlor?”

“A mortuary, yes,” Blaine answers, stomach fluttering at the second mention of Kurt's name today.

“Excellent work. And I liked your commitment as well,” he adds to William. “What's your name?”

“William Jessop.”

“William, I could really sense your anger from the beginning of the scene. And Blaine, it seems like you picked up on that as well. Do you have any ideas about his motivation or goal for the scene?” Mr. LaRue prompts.

“Um, I got the anger and that he was worried about money. That's really all I'd managed to figure out so far,” Blaine admits.

“Don't apologize – that's a great start. The fact that you were able to work that out from only a few words shows how well William conveyed his emotion and how well you listened to him, Blaine. Keep up the great work. I'm going to find some other students who need my help more than you do,” Mr. LaRue announces.

“I know I lucked out by picking you as my scene partner,” William beams. “Those were some pretty glowing words for the first day.”

“Yeah, Mr. LaRue was really nice,” Blaine agrees. “I hear he's not always that cheerful though.”

“Well, all I know is that whoever this Kurt guy is, you should seriously appreciate him later.” Blaine smiles at the thought.

“Not that you haven't earned the compliments with your performances too,” William adds. “Obviously you are talented, but it sounds like he's been talking you up to the faculty quite a bit.”

“I guess so,” Blaine grins. “I'll have to make it up to him when we meet up at lunch.”

* * *

Blaine is one of the first students to arrive to his History of Theater course since his acting workshop let out a few minutes early. He selects a desk in the center of the front row. He barely even has time to pull his notebook and textbook out of his backpack and set them on the desk before a middle aged woman is walking over to greet him.

“Hi, you must be Blaine!” she chirps cheerfully, waving. “I'm Isabelle Belago and I'll be your instructor for this course.”

“Oh, hi,” Blaine replies warmly. “It's wonderful to meet you.”

“Likewise, although I feel like I know you already given how much Kurt has talked about you,” she adds.

It's a testament to what a bizarre day Blaine is having that her comment doesn't even phase him anymore. “Kurt's too kind,” he murmurs shyly.

“He was one of my best students last year. I don't know if he mentioned it to you or not, but he actually helped me out quite a bit by serving as my student assistant. It's mainly little things – making copies, passing out exams, distributing study guides. Unfortunately, there's no pay or anything like that associated with the position, but it is good experience nonetheless. I was hoping you might be willing to do the same thing for me this semester?” she requests

“Of course, I'd love to,” Blaine replies eagerly. He doesn't have much idea what to expect, but he trusts Kurt's judgment nearly as much as he trusts his own. He assumes that whatever Mrs. Belago is offering up is a great honor or will at least entail some hidden perks.

He can't help the way his inner teacher's pet preens each and every time one of his NYADA instructors singles him out for praise or special recognition. He quickly became spoiled by the amount of attention he got from the faculty and his fellow students at Dalton Academy. Unfortunately, his experience at McKinley hadn't been nearly as ego boosting. His high school teachers there seemed to view Blaine as just another name on a roll call, another number on a quota, another box to tick. They weren't  _cruel_  to Blaine, they just showed him a startling amount of indifference. They seemed apathetic to all their students' needs and strengths, honestly. There was no amount of talent, hard work, and brown nosing that was enough to make Blaine stand out to them. But at NYADA, it would seem that Blaine's reputation proceeds him. It's a heady feeling and Blaine's sure if it continues, he'll be floating on a cloud by the end of the day.

* * *

Two hours later, Blaine sits sandwiched between Kurt and a friend at a table in the NYADA cafeteria. He's already met at least ten of Kurt's closest friends and literally had his cheeks pinched by the lunch ladies at the hot food counter. It seems that Kurt's gushing didn't begin and end with NYADA faculty, as even janitors seem to know all about Kurt's boyfriend, Blaine. In fact, it's a title he's heard so many times that day that he's starting to feel like that's his name rather than Blaine Anderson. He's aware that it's not an identity most guys would want, one where they are primarily labeled by who they are dating. But Blaine almost lost Kurt once before for good, and it's been just the thing he's desired most ever since.  He's happy to be known as Kurt's boyfriend, his fiance, and soon, his husband. It's an identity he's proud to wear like a badge of honor given the struggle it took to win Kurt over again.

Still, Blaine feels blessed that he's gotten so much more than just that now. He's made great friends like Sam and Tina, he's developed hobbies and passions outside of Kurt (albeit sometimes silly ones like his superhero alter ego), and he's started to work through some of the scars his absent, distant parents had left on him. His breakup with Kurt was one of the most painful things he's ever been through, but now that he's through it and on the other side, he can appreciate the lessons it had taught him. Blaine can see how he's grown and changed from their time apart and how he and Kurt communicate better now. He hopes that it's all they'll need to make a happy life together in New York City. And right now, sitting next to Kurt and holding his hand after a wildly successful morning at the premiere performing arts college, he feels like it will be.

“Is this the famous Blaine or are you two timing on your fiancé already?” a teasing voice calls out from across the room.

“Hey guys! Yes, this is Blaine, fresh off his first day of classes” Kurt announces proudly, waving to a new group of friends who join them at the table.

“Did you survive Carmen's orientation?” the girl asks Blaine.

“Yes thankfully,” Blaine smiles.

“Oh, he did more than survive! He performed first, to rave reviews from Carmen,” Kurt interjects.

“Kurt, you're embarrassing me,” Blaine blushes, though he's secretly flattered by the attention.

“And modest too, huh?” a different guy says. “Well Blaine, I'll fill you in on a little secret. Kurt never shuts up about you. He thinks you're the bee’s knees,” he whispers conspiratorially.

“I would never be caught dead saying anything quite that...  _cliched_ ,” Kurt protests. “But yes yes, I'm proud of boyfriend and I don't care who knows it. Sue me.”

There's a chorus of good natured taunts and jeers from the table in response. Kurt just laughs and flips them off before leaning in to kiss Blaine's cheek.

“Hey, I thought someone instituted a 'no kissing at the lunch table' rule last semester,” a blonde whose name Blaine thinks might be Alice points out.

“Yeah right, good luck enforcing that with these two lovebirds,” someone else groans.

* * *

“Dapper Dan, watch your form!” Cassie's voice is shrill in Blaine's ear as he stretches at the barre, trying to plié deeply while keeping his back straight and abdominal muscles tucked in as Mrs. July demanded.

“Me?” he quietly asks, a little confused.

“Yes, you. Who else would I be talking to?” Cassie scoffs, walking around to look Blaine in the eye with a haughty glare.

“My name's Blaine, not Dan,” Blaine says automatically before he has a chance to think it through. He instantly knows he's made the wrong call by the way Cassie's expression goes icy.  _Dammit._

“Do you think I give two shits what your name is? Your name isn't important to me, certainly not with form like that. Sorry, but if you wear a bowtie to class on the first day, you totally have a mocking nickname coming to you. You'll be Dapper Dan until you learn how to dance well enough to merit me bothering to learn your real name and I wouldn't hold my breath on that,” Mrs. July spits out venomously.

“Yes, Mrs. July,” Blaine squeaks, worrying his lower lip between his teeth. He focuses his gaze on the guy in front of him at the barre and attempts to copy his form.

“Yes, Mrs. July,” Cassie mocks in an affected tone of voice. “Seriously kid, did you just walk off a 1950s sitcom set? It's ridiculous.  _You’re_  ridiculous.”

Blaine decides it's probably better not to reply at all. He can feel all twenty-five pairs of eyes on him and a bead a sweat drips down his forehead between the embarrassment and the exertion.

“Sorry, Dapper Dan. This is one class where having your elfin prince boyfriend constantly babbling about how handsome and talented you are won't do you one bit of good. Sure, Kurt might have turned into a halfway decent dancer by the end of the semester which is why I bothered learning his name eventually, but he didn't have the two left feet that you appear to. Something tells me you probably won't be as lucky unless you are a crazy fast learner. The doe eyes and 'aww shucks, m'am' attitude do very little for me on their own,” Cassie finishes ranting.

She whirls her head to look at a wide eyed girl standing across from Blaine who is no longer even pretending to keep up with the dance sequence as she gapes at them. “What are you looking at, Bug Eyes? At least he's moving his firm ass which is more than I can say for you. Now move!” Cassie yells.

Blaine breathes a tiny sigh of relief that Cassie has found a new target and then immediately feels guilty for wishing that kind of humiliation on anyone else. His day has gone from delightful to nightmarish in a blink of an eye; all Blaine wants to do now is finish his class as quickly as possible and seek solace in Kurt's arms and a shared pint of Rocky Road ice cream on the couch.

* * *

Blaine trudges out of the rehearsal room ninety minutes later, trying his best not visibly wince due to his overtired muscles and aching feet, feeling too glum to even bother with changing out of his dance attire or re-gelling his hair. When he looks up from where he's been staring at the ground, he sees Kurt making his way towards him with an understanding pout.

“You're here,” Blaine murmurs gratefully.

“Yep,” Kurt replies. “Had a feeling you'd be needing a hug right about now.”

“God, do I ever,” Blaine groans. “I'm sweaty though, sorry.”

“It's okay. I can lower my standards just this once,” Kurt chuckles fondly, reaching for him.

Blaine falls into Kurt's embrace, letting the feeling of Kurt's strong arms wrapped securely around his waist give him the first moment of peace he's had since the moment he stepped foot into Cassie July's studio. The thought of having to willingly walk into the lion's den again in two days is enough to make his eyes well up and him swallow hard.

Kurt must sense his need, because he lets Blaine hold onto him for as long as he wants, even though they are standing in the center of a very busy corridor and people are having to sidestep around them. Blaine notes a glare from one student that nearly collides with them and takes a deep breath and pulls back, trying not to be too obvious as he sniffles and wipes his eyes.

“That bad?” Kurt asks, too practiced in the art of reading Blaine not to notice.

“It was pretty bad. She  _really_  didn't like me,” Blaine proclaims miserably. Kurt takes him by the arm and leads him down the hall and out towards the front entrance.

“Cassie July doesn't like  _anyone_ on the first day, honey. She's an equal opportunity mean girl that way,” Kurt swears.

“Well, I was probably her least favorite. It was either me or one other girl she mocked for at least fifteen solid minutes,” he recounts.

“Yikes, that's depressing,” Kurt grimaces. “I'm sorry, baby. Chances are that by next class she'll have a new target and have forgotten all about you, though. That's usually how it works.”

“I hope so,” Blaine sighs.

“Did she give you a nickname?” Kurt prods knowingly.

“Yes, I will henceforth be known as Dapper Dan.” Blaine rolls his eyes. “It's not even a  _good_  nickname.”

“It's really not,” Kurt snorts. “Dapper isn't exactly a horrible insult, after all. It's usually a compliment.”

“She said it was because of my bowtie.”

“I tried to warn you,” Kurt reminds him. “Sorry, that was not me gloating, just a comment.”

“I know, I know,” Blaine murmurs. “I guess I was feeling pretty cocky after the morning I had, so I didn't think it would matter? That was stupid of me.”

“It wasn't stupid. I'm sorry if my bragging set you up for disaster. I didn't realize how much I'd been talking about you until today, to be honest,” Kurt explains.

“Don't apologize for being proud of me,” Blaine immediately insists. “I like it. It's nice to know that you were thinking about me, even when I wasn't here.”

“Of course I was,” Kurt agrees. He bumps Blaine's hip with his in a failed attempt to coax a laugh, but Blaine can't even muster a smile. “How can I make you feel better?” he asks.

“Uh, you could give me a piggyback ride to the bus stop? Because my feet are killing me and I'm about five seconds away from laying down on the sidewalk,” Blaine suggests hopefully.

“Ew, think of the germs on the sidewalk,” he shudders. “You're lucky I love you. And that I work out four times a week now so I'm strong enough to lift you,” Kurt adds fondly. “Well c'mon, hop on, I guess.”

“So lucky,” Blaine sighs in relief as he clambers onto Kurt's back. Kurt transports them down the sidewalk and two blocks over to the bus stop with Blaine giggling the whole way. By the time they make it back to their apartment, Cassie July is a thing of the past and Blaine doesn't even need to take comfort in ice cream. But that doesn't stop Kurt from valiantly handing him the pint of Rocky Road and even offering to draw him a hot bath afterwards.

Suddenly, Blaine is finding himself looking forward to class the next morning. It would seem he has a lot of bragging about a very special someone of his own to do.


End file.
